Church 2 - St. Andrew, Metton

  On a busy Saturday, I hopped around 3 churches and Gresham Methodist Church's Strawberry tea. 

Armed with my newly acquired 'The Church Explorers Handbook' by Clive Fewins, OS Explorer 252, Notebook, Pen and Cherry Cola, I finally pulled over at St Andrew, Metton. This is a church I pass on the way to my own worship on a Sunday Afternoon, and on more than one occasion have turned around to avoid localised flooding. 

The church is in itself so welcoming, in a popular walking area it offers - for a suggested donation - water and biscuit bars. It has a well stocked book stall, and a wonderful set of benches to rest weary feet or to recover from nearly spilling all of the cherry cola. 

Metton itself is a small village in the North of Norfolk, noted in the Domesday Book as having 8.5 households with the primary occupation being that of working the land. Possibly the the origin of it's name (meadow/mowing settlement).

My handy Church explorers guide needn't be the thing to tell me that this church has had many a change in its external appearance with the brick work showing clearly changes to at leats the roof. It has some unique features and interesting links to local history. 

Whilst walking up the path there is a beautifully kept tombstone - with fresh flowers - unusual for the date of the memorial but upon research once home it remembers April Fabb who went missing in 1969 from the area in 1969. 

The church information guide itself suggests the current church dates from around 1300 although Norfolk Heriatge Explorer suggest that there may have been an earlier iteration due to evidence - which I will have to go back and attempt to find - of a vanished central tower. 

Instead of sticking with walking the outside first, which was the pattern for the rest of my visits today, I went inside. The inside has small areas of the whitewash peerled off and you can see the patterns and colour that  once may have adorned this place of worship. The ceiling has - according the to the church booklet on it's own hostroy - been replaced in both the Chancel and Nave in the 19th Century - but small sections of the previous roof can be seen. 

Within its interior are a slightly uncomfortable looking Jacobean chair (this can be found on the left of the alter bolted to the floor) and a Staff if the Parish Constable dating back to the reign of William IV. To save someone else looking this up as I did when I got home that reign was  26 June 1830 – 20 June 1837. 

Much of the wooden 'furniture' of the interior is from the 19th Century renovations and I cannot comment on the comfort of the pews as I neglected to sit in them. The Chancel's east window is a Y- Tracery and five 16th Century Roundels (round pictures in glass) of Flemish stained glass fitted in 1956 by the Mother of the last Squire of Felbrigg Hall.

Whislt I am new and studying the architectural nuances of varying church era's the 'square' windows are brightly coloured and not the familiar Y-tracery (Arch shape with Y infil - google please for a better description)  I would potentially have expected to see. The literature from the church describes them as having Perpendicular Tracery. They are however gorgeously coloured in their simplicity and on the over cast day still wonderfull deliverers of light to the worshippers and passerby's of this parish church. 

I did pause on my way out of the church to wonder how I had not got the curtain caught on the well worn door of the entrance to the church. In a wondeful idea I need to steel for home the curtain pole is attached to the door and moves with it. Simple things as they say please simple minds. 

Outside would continue to suprise me as I had not read the leaflet well enough. The tower has two archways. You can walk through it! Yep, walk underneath the rest of the tower, From North to south or vice versa... The likelihood other suggest for this is so people could process around the church. Today this level is different from the neighbouring piece of land by at leats a meter and so getting around the church can only be undertaken by going through (or by going the long way). The tower itself is the only square tower of my adventures on Saturday 18th July 2026.

Once you have gone through  and are veiwing the church from the otuside on the side furthest from the road it clearly shows the difference from a perpendicular and Y tracery window. The church grounds itself - whilst suffering from the dry and hot summer of 2026 - are surrounded by a beautiful view of the Norfolk countryside and spectacular trees. 

Outside of the church boundary is the village War Memorial. Whilst in most ways the expected of War memorials - accoridng to a lovely passer by with knowledge of the hisotry of the village and church - originally built to remember WW1, the lower teir was additional inscribed to remember WW2. Again ot unusual in my forays into churches and church yards. Unual in the WW2 section is the name May Claxton. This memorial is listed as those who served in the military during this time so it is likely that she would have served in the ATS, WAAF ir WRNS. I would be greatly intrigued by further finding on her story and will note how many other female names I find across memorials in this exploration. 

Please note this blog is the combination of my scrawled notes, further research and reflection once home and are my own views and not that of the church. In this blog the church leaflet did not have an author but was instrumental. Pictures are my own. 

Father God, thank you for this community and church at Metton. I pray that they are richly blessed in the beauty and wonder of your creation that surrounds them, the love of their creator that enfolds them and are bold in the harvest they will reap through sharing your love far and wide, great and small. Amen